Recover from parse errors when parse_error() returns true (#3989)

The return value of json_sax::parse_error() was documented both as "must
return false" and as "whether the parsing should continue", and the code
just passed it on. For JSON text, parsing stopped anyway, but sax_parse()
could report success for invalid input. The binary readers read on after
the error, looping forever on a CBOR indefinite-length array without its
end.

Now false stops parsing, and true recovers from the error:

- JSON text is repaired with the smallest local edit (insert a missing
  ',' or ':', remove a stray token, keep the readable part of a broken
  string or number, null for a value that cannot be read, close the
  innermost container at a wrong closing bracket and all of them at the
  end of the input), and parsing continues. The SAX events stay balanced,
  every key is followed by exactly one value, and each token is reported
  at most once.
- The binary formats cannot resynchronize, so they stop, but complete
  the value read so far.

sax_parse() returns false after any error. parse(), accept(), and the
from_*() functions never recover and compile to the same code as before.

Supersedes #4522.

Signed-off-by: Niels Lohmann <mail@nlohmann.me>
This commit is contained in:
Niels Lohmann
2026-09-27 20:16:42 +02:00
parent 509c07041f
commit 9adb510a0d
21 changed files with 4242 additions and 285 deletions
+140
View File
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ array data, it performs the following steps:
- s2 = serialize(j2)
- assert(s1 == s2)
Furthermore, it parses data with a SAX parser that recovers from every error
and checks that the events are balanced, that parsing ends, and that valid
input is parsed without errors (see #3989).
The provided function `LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput` can be used in different fuzzer
drivers.
*/
@@ -23,6 +27,8 @@ drivers.
#include <cassert>
#include <iostream>
#include <sstream>
#include <string>
#include <vector>
#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
// the round-trip checks below are assertions; NDEBUG would compile them away
@@ -32,9 +38,143 @@ drivers.
using json = nlohmann::json;
namespace
{
// a SAX parser that recovers from every error and checks that the events are
// balanced and that every key is followed by exactly one value
class recovering_checker : public nlohmann::json_sax<json>
{
public:
bool null() override
{
return value();
}
bool boolean(bool /*val*/) override
{
return value();
}
bool number_integer(number_integer_t /*val*/) override
{
return value();
}
bool number_unsigned(number_unsigned_t /*val*/) override
{
return value();
}
bool number_float(number_float_t /*val*/, const string_t& /*s*/) override
{
return value();
}
bool string(string_t& /*val*/) override
{
return value();
}
bool binary(binary_t& /*val*/) override
{
return value();
}
bool start_object(std::size_t /*elements*/) override
{
value();
stack.push_back('o');
return true;
}
bool key(string_t& /*val*/) override
{
++events;
assert(!stack.empty() && stack.back() == 'o');
stack.back() = 'v';
return true;
}
bool end_object() override
{
++events;
assert(!stack.empty() && stack.back() == 'o');
stack.pop_back();
return true;
}
bool start_array(std::size_t /*elements*/) override
{
value();
stack.push_back('a');
return true;
}
bool end_array() override
{
++events;
assert(!stack.empty() && stack.back() == 'a');
stack.pop_back();
return true;
}
bool parse_error(std::size_t /*position*/, const std::string& /*last_token*/, const nlohmann::detail::exception& /*ex*/) override
{
++errors;
return true;
}
bool complete() const
{
return stack.empty();
}
std::size_t events = 0;
std::size_t errors = 0;
private:
bool value()
{
++events;
if (!stack.empty())
{
// an array element, or the value of a key
assert(stack.back() != 'o');
if (stack.back() == 'v')
{
stack.back() = 'o';
}
}
return true;
}
// 'a' for an array, 'o' for an object that expects a key, 'v' for an
// object that expects the value of a key
std::vector<char> stack;
};
} // namespace
// see http://llvm.org/docs/LibFuzzer.html
extern "C" int LLVMFuzzerTestOneInput(const uint8_t* data, size_t size)
{
// step 0: recover from all errors, reading from memory and from a stream
{
recovering_checker checker;
const bool ok = json::sax_parse(data, data + size, &checker);
assert(checker.complete());
assert(checker.errors <= size + 1);
assert(checker.events <= (4 * size) + 4);
assert(ok == json::accept(data, data + size));
assert(ok == (checker.errors == 0));
std::istringstream stream(std::string(reinterpret_cast<const char*>(data), size));
recovering_checker stream_checker;
assert(json::sax_parse(stream, &stream_checker) == ok);
assert(stream_checker.complete());
assert(stream_checker.events == checker.events);
assert(stream_checker.errors == checker.errors);
}
try
{
// step 1: parse input